BLOGMAS: BandAid: The Debate

Since it’s been out for a while now I feel it’s a good thing to bring up. Band Aid is one of the most successful Christmas songs out there. It has been remade twice and the song has been filling our hearts and our heads for 30 years. 30 years, that’s a long time. I really like this song and personally it’s one of my favourites as seen in my top ten Christmas songs post but one Sunday I came down the stairs and my Dad had on one of those Sunday politics shows which brings up questions and has people argue their opinions on them

Normally I absolutely hate these shows but the subject matter was Band Aid 30, Ebola and Africa. It had me intrigued and so my mother and I listened to what was being said and told each other our own opinions.

There was a lady on their whose origins were from Liberia. She was saying that this song, back then and now, paints Africa in a bad light of need and desperation – like it needs help from the Western world. She was saying Africa doesn’t and that as a Liberian citizen she was not happy with the lyrics, even with the lyrical changes.

The other lady sitting next to her was saying that it was a good thing because it was raising money to help the people fighting Ebola.

This lead to a 15 minute argument which I won’t get in to, there was a lot of contradictions and honestly I think it was because they didn’t have enough time to think of what they needed to say they just spoke over one another. 

My opinion on the matter is this; I can completely understand the note made about it painting Africa in a bad light, because it does. There are a few lines in the song that do give Africa the wrong stereotype for example here are three lines from the original Band Aid Song:

1.    The greatest gift they'll get this year is life

2.       Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears

3.       Are the clanging chimes of doom

In Band Aid 30 they are:

1.       Where a kiss of love can kill you

2.       Where to touch is to be scared

3.       The only hope they have is being alive

Now these lyrics are not the best. Do they tell the truth? Yes. Do they make a point? Yes. Are they nice? Not at all. But what people forget it we ‘westoners’ don’t listen. To get our attention and to get us to help we need songs, TV programmes, etc. for us to even consider parting with our hard earned money. 

You might think I am being harsh but at the end of the day what else can we do? We are giving our money to the doctors, nurses and other people out in Africa working to help and contain the spread of the Ebola Virus. It’s not like people with no knowledge of medicine can go out there, hope they don’t catch Ebola and try to help is it? No that would be stupid. 

So yes while I agree the lyrics are terrible, can be read or interpreted in many different ways and we should really come up with new songs for Christmas, I think the idea behind it is a good one – provided the money from the single actually goes to those battling the virus over in Africa. 

While writing this a researching the Sunday TV show that I saw the argument on I also found a few more articles about Zoe Sugg. 

There is the ridiculous notion that Band Aid should only be sing by ‘professional singers’. I’m sorry what? Are you insane? Band Aid is supposed to be a group of people getting together and singing a song to raise awareness and money for a good cause. WHY DOES IT MATTER IF ZOELLA SANG IN THE CHORUS?

If Bob Geldof contacted you would you turn down the opportunity to meet, and sing and be involved in something as big as that? No I don’t think you would so lets just stop all this nonsense, it is Christmas after all. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.